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Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil is an enigmatic character shrouded in mystery, encountered in the Lord of the Rings. Theories It was stated that if Sauron were to regain the Ring, Tom Bombadil would be the last to fall. It is also stated by Galdor that 'Power to defy our enemy is not in him, unless such power is in the earth itself. And yet we see that Sauron can torture and destroy the very hills.' implying that Bombadil is in some way connected with the very earth itself. The theory of his being Eru is mostly supported by Goldberry, Tom's wife. When she is asked by Frodo who he is, she simply replies, "He is." However, it is harmed by the implications that he does not really care for anything beyond his country, and the implication he would, eventually, fall if Sauron regained the One Ring. However, it is unknown if he really would fall if Sauron regained the ring, as it was merely said that he would be the last as he was good being of Middle-earth and says that he was there before anyone else. Bombadil is just known as the 'eldest', in almost all cultures. If Tom Bombadil is indeed not a normal being, but rather a supernatural being or a "concept", it's not necessarily a contradiction. Concerning Fangorn, J.R.R. Tolkien remarked,"Fangorn is a character in my story and even he does not know everything". It is important to know that Tom was not only "Eldest" (as he says to Frodo) in terms of the characters in The Lord of the Rings, but he was also most certainly one of J.R.R. Tolkien's earliest literary creations. Tolkien's biographer, Humphrey Carpenter, relates that Tom was inspired by a Dutch doll that belonged to the professor's eldest son Michael. This doll was said to have looked very splendid (it had a real feather in its hat), but Michael's brother John did not like it, and one day he decided to stuff it down the lavatory. The doll was rescued, and survived to become one of the heroes of the spontaneous stories that were told to the children at bedtime. Tom Bombadil is an enormous mystery, and many gave theories about his nature. Some think he is The Witch King, due to the fact that he saw Frodo when he was invisible. However, this is very unlikely due to the fact the Witch King would have taken the Ring when he had it and/or killed Frodo, and wouldn't have given Merry the dagger that led to his downfall; also the One Ring has no effect on him. Others think he is the reader: when Frodo put on the Ring the reader knows he's there, and Elrond doesn't trust the reader with the Ring. Another theory states that he is the embodied spirit of Middle-Earth's Nature. It is also believed he could be the Valar Aule. Some people think he is actually Eru Ilúvatar, God, in the form of a man. Still others think that he could represent Tolkien himself. Regardless, Tolkien has made it clear that Tom Bombadil was meant to be an enigma. He could also be one of the two blue Istari, described in the book Unfinished Tales (p. 393). There are five wizards of the order of the Istari: one white, one brown and one grey, Saruman, Radagast and Gandalf respectively, and two lesser known wizards, Alatar and Pallando, cloaked in blue. As Bombadil wears a blue jacket, it could possibly signify that he is one of these two Blue Wizards. The theory is aided by the fact that he is able to use magic. This, however, is very unlikely, since Tolkien himself stated that these two Blue Wizards went into the Far East and did not return to the west. Furthermore, we know that both Gandalf and Saruman could be influenced by the Ring; it would seem very strange that their companion and equal would not be. It is also theorized that Tom is a Maia, but this is unlikely due to the fact that that, "Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn ... he knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless — before the Dark Lord came from Outside". This would mean that he's been around since before the creation of the Maiar, debunking this theory. Another possibility is that Tom Bombadil represents a friend, or many friends of Tolkien; the absolute infallibility of the character presents the idea that Tolkien himself did not believe that his own creations could affect Bombadil, a trait that would be true of Tolkien's friends and family, though he would not entrust the "ring" to Tom, suggesting that although he respects the ideas and opinions of his friends, he would not allow them to significantly change the path of the story. This again puts him at an abstract level. The final idea is that Bombadil could represent the Aslan of Middle Earth (i.e. the Christ figure), as Tolkien was good friends with Narnia's writer C.S Lewis. This may be apocryphal, but it does back up the statement above as he could be the creator of Tolkien's universe. Quotes Trivia * In April 2008, 3-D entertainment model producer Gentle Giant Studios, Inc., headquartered in Burbank, California, released an exclusive sculpted Tom Bombadil bust, limited to 1000 pieces, for the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con. Licensed under New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings franchise. TOM BOMBADIL BUST - Gentle Giant Studios *Tom Bombadil is a hero, summoned through his respective power, in The Battle for Middle-earth II, and in the game's expansion pack, The Rise of the Witch King. *Spanish band "Saurom Lamberth" dedicated a song to Tom Bombadil, which can be seen here. *In the Games Workshops Lord of the Rings strategy game, Tom Bombadil is a hero along with his wife, Goldberry. If they enter a fight, they automatically win, although they can not stike blows; nor can he or Goldberry be killed by shooting or magical powers. External links * * Entry in the Encyclopedia of Arda (a concise overview of the discussion) * [http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/Bombadil.html What is Tom Bombadil?] by Steuard Jensen (a detailed explanation) * [http://www.cas.unt.edu/~hargrove/bombadil.html Who is Tom Bombadil?] by Gene Hargrove (a somewhat unorthodox but well-presented essay) * images of Tom Bombadil * [http://flyingmoose.org/tolksarc/theories/bombadil.htm The Truth About Tom Bombadil] is a controversial theory about Tom's true identity. de:Tom Bombadil es:Tom Bombadil pl:Tom Bombadil ru:Том Бомбадил Bombadil Category:Mystery Bombadil